Rio Salado College has been named a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for its efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation in the 2024 election.
Rio Salado was one of 471 colleges to receive the honor from ALL In, an organization that works to improve civic engagement on more than 1,075 campuses nationwide.
“This award is made possible in great part because of the passionate leadership demonstrated by our student leaders and Director of Student Life & Leadership, Kate Packer,” said Rio Salado President Kate Smith. “Promoting civic engagement is a key tenet at Rio Salado, and we will proudly continue our efforts to increase student voter turnout, and proudly share this award with our community.”
Rio Salado was recognized for completing four ALL IN core actions:
- Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
- Sharing 2022 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
- Developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
- Having a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.
“The research is clear: colleges and universities that make intentional efforts to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement have higher campus voter registration and voter turnout rates,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
Rio Salado’s Student Life & Leadership division led the college’s student voting efforts during this year’s election.
“Our focus is on making civic engagement a lasting part of everyday culture, even during ‘off’ election years,” said Packer.
The college partnered with several nonpartisan organizationsincluding AZ Clean Elections, AZ Town Hall, Campus Vote Project, VoteRiders, Fair Elections Center, and the nationwide ALL IN Campus Democracy Initiative.
The collaboration led to 19 impactful events hosted virtually, in-person, and in hybrid formats across multiple Rio Salado College locations. These efforts included participation in Constitution Day, National Voter Education Week, Vote Early events, Election Hero Day, and more.
“With the support of a grant, we accessed essential training and resources to launch our civic engagement efforts and welcomed four students as Rio Salado’s first Democracy Fellows,” Packer said.
“One memorable outcome came from a student at Rio Salado’s Northern location who initially wasn’t planning to vote, despite being registered,” Packer said. “After speaking with our Democracy Fellows during a Vote Early event, she felt empowered and informed, ultimately deciding to cast her ballot.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently engages 10.8 million students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more here.